Biogeographic regions of central Argentina based on snakes distributions: evaluating two different methodological approach

NORI JAVIER; DIAZ GOMEZ JUAN; LEYNAUD GERARDO C.

JOURNAL OF NATURAL HISTORY

TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD

Lugar: Londres; Año: 2011 vol. 45 p. 1005 - 1020

0022-2933

Regionalization studies attempt to divide an area into regions by studying the distribution of its biota. Here we used snake distribution in Central Argentina to recognize distribution patterns, and then compared two methods (cluster analysis and endemism analysis) and the patterns found with previously defined regions. Both analyses recovered Chaco and, within Chaco, the subregion Chaco Serrano, as well as all the snake species that are threatened or range-restricted occurring only in the Chaco region, which has been severely deforested in the last decades. The Espinal region was not recovered by cluster analysis or NDM software, and may be considered an “impoverished” Chaco or a transition zone. The Pampas was only recovered by cluster analysis. NDM appears to be more robust than cluster analysis, whereas the latter seems to be very sensitive to sampling problems, sometimes identifying spurious areas or areas characterized by having no exclusive species.